Expect the Unexpected
by Bookfanatic320
Summary: Being surgeons and planning don't always mix. In which, Connor's nervous and Ava's having a horrible day.


**Hello people! Thank you, as always, for clicking on my story! I hope you enjoy this story of Connor and Ava! I thought I had better write a happy one since the show is destroying them. This will probably never happen but I thought it was cute and we deserve epic amounts of fluff and OTP-ness (I just created a new word). Anyways, leave a comment down below and tell me what you think! **

* * *

_"You look like the rest of my life..."_

_Beau Taplin (Or Connor's thoughts about Ava)_

"On her chest!" Ava commanded the dazed-looking medical student.

He must have been a part of the new batch of med students that arrived this morning. She assumed that this was his first live code because the poor thing looked like he was going to hyperventilate. Or maybe it was that he just wasn't used to trauma.

Either way, the last thing she needed was a fainter.

Ava took the paddles that were being handed to her, smearing the gel on them before shouting clear.

Quickly, she felt for a pulse and watched the monitor, "Push a round of epi!"

"Clear!" Ava waited for a tense second before sucking in a breath as her patient's heartbeat switched into a normal rhythm, "Stats are coming up. She's back."

Ava gave a reassuring nod to whom she assumed was the girl's mother, watching as Maggie held the sobbing woman out of the trauma bay.

Glancing at the med student who still looked panicked, she turned to one of the nurses.

She had to hold back a wry grin. Now was certainly not the time but she did have to admit it was hilarious to watch the med students as they learned that actually practicing medicine was much harder and much more terrifying than the stress of studying for tests all night.

As long as they weren't in her way or killing a patient, that is.

"I'd like to get a CBC, a BMP, an EKG, and a CT," The nurse nodded, typing the tests into the tablet.

Ava took her gloves off, threw them away and left the nurses to tend to her patient. She walked towards the still distraught woman who stared fearfully at the younger woman lying in the bed.

"Is my daughter going to be okay!?" The dark-haired woman reached out to clutch Ava's hands frantically.

Maggie rubbed the woman's shoulders as she shared a glance with Ava who squeezed the woman's hands.

"This is Hannah Walker and that's her daughter, Mia," The charge nurse told Ava before turning back to the woman, "This is Dr. Bekker. She's one of the best."

"Mrs. Walker, your daughter is stable for the moment but I'm running some tests so we can find out what made her go into cardiac arrest. I promise you I'm going to do my absolute best to help her, alright?"

Hannah nodded, wiping her tears, "Yes, alright. Thank you so much, Dr. Bekker."

Ava smiled, "Of course. Now, is there anyone you'd like us to call?"

"No, I called my husband in the ambulance. He's out of town on business but he's going to get a flight as soon as he can."

"Good. I will be back in a little while after I get Mia's results."

Ava walked over to the nearest computer to put her notes in, rubbing her forehead as she went.

That was her fourth code blue today, not to mention the emergency Angioplasty she had done that morning and before all that, she'd had to restrain herself from almost killing one of the residents after he misdiagnosed chest pain as indigestion.

Didn't he know that chest pain was always taken seriously, and he should have called her the moment that the patient listed 'chest pain' as a symptom?

Said patient ended up needing an emergency bypass which she delegated to Connor because she had an M&M report to complete before the afternoon which she still hadn't done. She had been way too busy to even think about doing it.

And it was only 10:58 in the morning. It felt like 10 at night.

It was going to be an extremely long day, she could already tell.

However, Connor had mentioned taking her out tonight so at least she had something to look forward to.

She shook her head. She didn't have time for daydreaming.

There was an insane amount of work to do before she could even think of going and as far as she was concerned, tonight couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Connor listened to the soothing sound of the OR as he took the instrument Beth was handing him.

It was too quiet.

He missed Ava's chatter.

He just missed her in general. He always missed her when he was pulled into surgery without her.

Of course, he enjoyed talking with his surgical team and occasionally helping Marty do his crossword puzzles during the easy parts of the operation, but Ava was different.

In the beginning, when she first moved to Chicago, he hated it when Latham forced them to operate together because of her snarky attitude and the tension that was between them since the day they were introduced was electrifying, simmering under the surface always waiting to explode.

She had quickly picked up on his displeasure at the arrangement and from there, the game got more intense.

She seemed to always make it her personal mission to anger him. She enjoyed finding ways to get on his nerves. And that little smirk she always got when she set him off drove him crazy.

Whether it was a quip or a dig, she always seemed to get under his skin. And she didn't hide the fact that it delighted her to no end.

Then, a few months after working with her, something changed. The competition that had manifested between them got less bloodthirsty…and more spirited.

Slowly, gradually, Ava began to offer less hateful comments instead turning them into almost playful teases and sometimes even small words of praise.

There were no more intentionally hurtful comments about his skill or his personal life while they were operating or making rounds.

Oh, don't get him wrong.

There were plenty of snarky comments pertaining to those subjects, but they were (mostly) light-hearted.

And he started to find that he anticipated her next comment. Hoping that they got surgeries together, hard ones, anxiously awaiting the inevitable jest while they worked in harmony. She kept him on his toes, and he loved it especially when he started giving back as good as he got.

It became exciting and he grew to like this new competition that had started between them.

No longer were they constantly trying to make the other look bad instead they became a team. They had finally realized they were better working together than against each other.

Piece by piece, they began to open up to each other.

She began to show him her vulnerable sides and in return, he showed his. Every day he learned something new about Ava and his respect for her skill as a surgeon as well as her heart as a person grew exponentially.

And just when he thought he couldn't admire her and her strength anymore, she always did something that took his breath away.

Then the inevitable came.

He fell head-over-heels in love with her. And, thank God, she reciprocated the feelings. They were in love. And finally, after many bumps in the road, they became a couple and now his life was fuller and held more purpose than it had ever before.

Now they were partners in every sense of the word.

There were still arguments. All the time in fact. It was just the nature of their job and their personalities and the stress that came with it, but they always found a way to work it out quickly.

His relationship with Ava in (and out) of the OR was radically different from what it had been back in the beginning. No longer was there tension that could be cut with a knife instead there was an atmosphere of comfort and camaraderie as a bubbly, fiery competition brewed.

Now, they bickered light-heartedly, or she teased him mercifully. Sometimes they talked about the gossip that was circulating through the hospital or they made plans for their (very few) days off and just chatted in general.

Sometimes, they just talked shop. Mapping out what they needed to do next or discussing something interesting about another case which escalated into stimulating debates.

And sometimes, they worked in a comfortable silence, only communicating through looks and glances, letting their skilled hands guide them.

Connor wanted it to always be like that.

He swallowed hard and let out a huff.

"Dr. Rhodes, you seem awfully nervous today," Marty observed, breaking his train of thought.

Connor, caught off guard, turned his head to look at the anesthesiologist, chuckling nervously, "What makes you say that?"

"You haven't said one word other than to ask for instruments and you keep fidgeting and letting out big sighs," his friend looked at him pointedly, "You've done thousands of bypass surgeries before. You pull off surgeries ten times as difficult without even breaking a sweat. Hell, I don't think I've ever even seen you nervous. What's so different about today?"

Connor cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the heart in front of him. Marty was right. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, he was nervous. He just didn't think it was so evident.

He wasn't nervous about the surgery, he could do that in his sleep. In fact, the nerves he felt weren't even related to a medical case.

It was about tonight. About Ava.

She didn't know it, but he was taking her to one of the most romantic restaurants in Chicago. Signature on 95th. It had a great view; the champagne selection was impressive, and Ava loved the food so he thought it would be the perfect place to pop the question.

He had debated with himself for a long time, trying to decide where to take her. Flying to Paris had crossed his mind but he dismissed it because he thought Ava might appreciate being proposed to in a more familiar city, one that had held many special moments.

Connor had made reservations months ago. He'd had the ring for even longer, just carrying it around waiting for the right moment to appear until he finally decided he needed to create one himself. Honestly, a part of him was slightly surprised Ava hadn't found it yet.

Tonight, was the night that would change their lives, hopefully for the better.

He blew out a shaky breath. Even thinking about it made him nervous.

He hardly ever got nervous. He was far too confident for his own good and if he did get anxious, he always hid it well.

But apparently not today. These were a different set of nerves; ones that he had never felt before.

He was once again pulled out of his thoughts by Beth forcefully saying his name. He looked up to see everyone staring at him from behind their masks and glasses.

He must have gotten a bit preoccupied.

"Are you all right, Dr. Rhodes?" Beth looked at him with mild concern, "You don't seem like yourself."

Connor sucked in a deep breath to fortify himself. He knew that he needed to get his act together before he accidentally blew it.

"Everything is fine Beth. I just didn't have my coffee this morning," He flashed her a smile from under his mask and changed the subject, "So any juicy gossip lately?"

His team's chatter once again faded to the background as he tried to focus on his bypass and not think about tonight.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

What. Was. Happening? Ava looked on in shocked horror, slowly counting to ten in her head trying to refrain from strangling the med students before her.

That wouldn't help the situation. Not at all.

She wasn't even sure what she was witnessing, to be honest. It all felt like a really horrible nightmare moving in slow motion.

She had been standing at one of the counters trying to work on her M&M report between the fleeting moments she got from running all over the place giving consults and keeping people alive and breathing when raised voices caught her attention.

It had quickly escalated to yelling which alarmed her because it was coming from inside one of the treatment rooms, but it didn't sound like a stressed family squabbling.

It sounded like a disagreement over medical procedures.

She hurried over and yanked back the curtain in time to see one of the med students pushing the same med student that had frozen that morning into the cart full of supplies.

That wasn't even the worst part though because there was an actual patient and his family occupying the room watching the whole encounter with frightened expressions.

Ava quickly looked out of the room for some kind help because hello? Where was security when you needed them?

And of course, everyone was busy, so it fell to her to resolve whatever this was. She so did not have time to deal with this nor did she particularly want to.

"What in the world do you think you two are doing!?" She demanded furiously as she watched the altercation on the floor halt abruptly at her words.

They sat up, staring at her dumbly amidst scattered syringes and vials. Their hair messy and scrubs twisted.

"Get up," She ground out through clenched teeth.

Immediately, they scrambled to their feet looking like children who had just got their hand caught in the cookie jar. Served them right! Before she was done with them, they would be red in the face awaiting a very long punishment. They could count on that.

She let out a long breath out of her nose, everything eerily silent as she shot fire through her eyes while anger radiated off her in waves.

The sniffles in the background reminded her that they were not alone which meant that in addition to yelling at some med students, she also had to comfort a family who had witnessed two med students get in a fight!

She took another calming breath and peeked her head out of the room again, grateful to see April walking across the ED.

"April, I need you," Ava called, and the nurse walked towards her, her brow furrowed.

"What's going on…?" April trailed off as Ava jerked her head towards the still quiet room except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the heavy breathing of the med students as well as the occasional sniffle.

April stepped into the room, her eyes wide as she took in the scene slowly, "What happened in here?"

Ava shot a glare at the young men who were still standing in the midst of the knocked over the cart, "I have no idea, but you can bet I'm going to find out!"

She finally turned back to the family who was huddled around the head of the hospital bed, "I am so sorry for whatever happened. Our medical students know better than to show this kind of behavior and you can be sure that they will be sufficiently dealt with."

The still shocked family nodded haltingly, and Ava turned back to the students, "Apologize and go wait for me in the hallway by the elevators."

She watched as they murmured for forgiveness, trying to escape the room as soon as possible.

"And you'd better be there when I come to find you," She called after them.

"Again, I am so sorry about this," Ava addressed the family again, motioning to April, "This is April. She'll clean this mess up and make sure you have everything you need."

She gave a polite nod towards the family and shared an unbelieving glance with April before exiting the room to go find her charges.

She found them exactly where she had told them to wait which was a relief because she really didn't want to hunt them down however it looked like they were having some sort of standoff and she did not want another fight to break out.

She certainly wouldn't be held accountable for her actions at that point.

Ava stalked up to them and crossed her arms as they turned to face her, "You had better start talking and talking right now! What the hell happened? What on earth possessed you to get in a fight!? In front of a patient no less! We do not tolerate that behavior here or anywhere!"

She glared at them waiting for some kind of explanation. She glanced at the names on their coats.

Mr. Alex Blake and Mr. Benjamin Gates.

They'd better believe that she was reporting them to the board of medicine.

When they didn't say anything, she prompted, "Well? I don't have all day."

"He was going to give the patient medicine without consulting Dr. Choi, so I tried to stop him," Mr. Gates, the one from this morning, blurted out in a pinched voice.

Mr. Blake rounded on the scrawnier Mr. Gate's with an angered expression, "Oh! Now you're in for it! You couldn't just keep your mouth shut?"

Ava was slightly surprised at the initial accusation, but she was even more surprised that Mr. Blake was basically incriminating himself. Judging by the way this conversation was going, as soon as she gave an account of it to the various medical boards it was likely that Alex Blake would no longer be a medical student.

"Mr. Blake!" She snapped, gaining his attention once more, "Is this true? And you had better think long and hard before trying to lie to me."

He narrowed his eyes at her and for a moment, she thought he might yell at her but then he must have thought better of it because his expression softened into a pleading one, "Please, I didn't do anything wrong. Dr. Choi wouldn't listen to me. I know the patient needs the medication I was going to administer regardless of what he thinks. We had a case in med school with the same types of symptoms and my course of treatment was the right one!"

Ava could hardly believe her ears.

This med student was telling her he went strictly against orders from a doctor, which he is not, and thought it was okay to administer who knows what kind of medicine on his own and to make matters worse, he was trying to convince her that he knew more about it than an actual doctor!

"You didn't do anything wrong!?" She exploded, "You are not authorized to give medicine. Need I remind you that you are not a doctor? Dr. Choi knows a hell of a lot more than you do and I can assure you that he has the patient's best interests in mind but instead you go behind his back to treat a patient."

Ava sucked in a breath before laying into him again, "Do you have any idea what you've just done? What if the patient was allergic or what if it counteracted with other medicines being administered? Or what if you had given too much. That person could have died which would be on you and since you aren't a doctor it would be considered felony murder. And not even to mention your bedside manner!"

Her eyes were flashing, daring him to make a comment.

Blake's face hardened, his eyes narrowing as moved threateningly closer, "I'm the best medical student in the whole school so I think I am qualified to make those decisions without consulting Dr. Ethan Choi or you, whoever the hell you are. Are you even a real doctor? Or are you just jealous because I'm a rising star and you aren't! You're just a girl. You can't be smarter than me!"

Ava stood staring at him in shock. He had gotten all up into her face, his breath ghosting over her face as he spat in her face and before she could register what she was doing, she slapped him.

A hard, resounding smack. She had the fleeting thought that she had probably just made things worse but thankfully one Dr. Ethan Choi ran up to her side.

"Hey man, get out of her face!" He yelled furiously and shoved the other man back against the wall, "What the hell do you think you are doing, threatening a doctor, or any woman, like that?"

Three cheers for Ethan. She would have done the same thing but quite frankly she was too shocked to even do anything…other than slapping him that is.

She had never in her life had a med student tell her that she was 'just a girl' and that she couldn't possibly be a doctor. Oh, she had had plenty of men look down at her, jealous of her success but they were mostly doctors, however, there had been more than a few patients who thought reading about heart surgery on Wikipedia equated to her years of expertise.

But she hadn't had an encounter like this in quite a while.

She glanced at Mr. Gates who looked more shocked that she did. He actually kind of looked like he was about to pass out with the way he was shaking and the paleness of his skin. Poor thing must have a week heart. She briefly wondered how this medical career would work out for him.

Ethan still had a fighting Alex Blake pinned up against a wall which was attracting more attention than she wanted but then, just when Ava thought it couldn't get any more chaotic, Connor came running down the hallway, his face full of concern.

* * *

Connor whistled as he finished putting in his surgical notes, glancing at the clock. It was almost 1:30 and it looked like that he might have some time to go get a quick lunch before a trauma case. And he really hoped that Ava wasn't in the middle of anything because it was much nicer to sit down and have lunch together than just bringing her back a salad if she was busy.

He pushed back his chair and got up, "Hey, Katy! If anything comes up just page me or Ava. I'm going to go try to grab some lunch."

The desk nurse smiled at him, nodding her head as Connor started down the hall with a spring in his step.

The prospect of seeing Ava always put him in a good mood. She was the love of his life and he wanted everyone to know it and he didn't care if they thought he was a hopeless romantic because when it came to her, he was.

He had never felt the same way about any other woman except Ava.

She was so special, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never feel the same way about another woman; Ava was the one for him.

He regretted not realizing it sooner than he did but it didn't matter now because she was his and if everything went according to plan tonight, she would be his for the rest of their lives.

If he could make it that long.

He had been keeping his plan under wraps but now that the actual day was here, he couldn't seem to shake his nerves and it wouldn't do to blow the whole thing now. Not when he was so close. He just needed to keep it together for a few more hours.

Connor came around the corner, still daydreaming about Ava when he saw a scene that shocked him.

Ethan had what looked like an irate med student pressed up against the elevator hallway but that wasn't what concerned him most. It was the fact that Ava stood there looking stunned but also furious with her hand slightly raised.

He ran down the rest of the hallway, "What happened? What's going on?"

Ava glanced at him and feebly patted him in what was probably supposed to be in a reassuring manner. Connor noticed a scrawny med student standing to the side looking terrified and again he wondered what in the world had happened. And how was Ava involved?

Then Ethan threw a glance backward towards Ava, before asking, "Did he hurt you?" then spun back to the man that he was pinning and yelled in his face, "You'd better apologize to her!"

Alarmed, Connor as he whipped his head to look at Ava, taking her arms and running his eyes up and down her form, "What did he mean? Are you hurt? Did that man touch you!?"

Ava took in a deep breath and put a hand on his bicep, "I'm fine. He was just angry because I'm going to report him to the board of medicine, and I have a feeling after what has transpired that Mr. Alex Blake will, unfortunately, no longer be a med student."

At this, Blake, who had stopped fighting and was just being trapped by Ethan, spat at her, "What do you know about it!?"

Connor stepped in front of Ava and growled at him, "Don't you dare speak to her like that. She is one of the best surgeons in this hospital and you'd do well to remember your place!"

Ethan glared at Alex, "I'll take it from here Ava. They are my responsibility and I'm sorry you had to get involved in the first place however, that was a pretty impressive slap."

"Thanks," Ava smiled as she observed the bright red handprint on the side of Alex's face. Connor nudged her and she began to walk away when Ethan slapped Connor on the shoulder, so she hung back to wait.

Ethan looked at Connor seriously, "Hey man, I'll make sure that he gets what he deserves," He glanced at Ava, "You've got a good one, Connor. She's pretty amazing when I showed up, she was giving him what for."

"Don't I know it. Thanks, man," Connor gave him a nod.

He still wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but he had no doubt that Ava wasn't being anything less of her amazing, beautiful self and he couldn't be more grateful or proud to have her.

* * *

"I can't believe that guy! He's a prick and you'd better believe that I will personally make sure he is kicked out of med school. Who did he think he was, telling you those things and giving a patient medicine against direct orders from a doctor?" Connor huffed angrily as he and Ava walked over to an empty table in the cafeteria.

"And you're sure you're okay?" He gave her a meaningful look, setting down their coffees as she slid into a seat, their lunch in her hands.

"Connor," Ava gazed at him with a hint of exasperation, "You can stop worrying. There is no need, however sweet it might be, to go defend my honor. I'm sure Ethan will get it taken care of and we will not see Alex Blake around the ED anymore. I'm sure today was his first and last."

She stared at him until he nodded his head in acceptance.

A smile broke out across her face as she started distributing lunch, "Now, let's talk about something else, shall we?"

"How was the bypass?" She took a bite of salad and watched Connor lovingly.

He nodded, swallowing his drink, "Good. Everything went off without a hitch. What about you? You finish the M&M?"

Ava laughed tiredly, "Oh, I wish. My plan of swapping places with you did not go as I'd hoped. After yelling at that resident, the one that misdiagnosed the bypass patient that I handed to you, I thought the ED would be relatively silent, but I was wrong. I would have been better off by just doing the bypass and letting you man the ED because I only got about a paragraph written."

She sighed, "Four Code Blue's, one emergency angioplasty and then, well, you know the rest. I almost killed a couple of med students."

Connor looked at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry. I'll try to cover for you some so you can finish. Didn't they want it by this afternoon?"

"Yes, but if I, by some miracle, get it done by tonight, they should be just as grateful. I don't know why they expect busy attending surgeons to write Morbidity and Mortality reports in such short notice."

He chuckled and she flicked a piece of lettuce at him, "Speaking of tonight, you mentioned something about a date. Where are we going?"

Connor's heart-rate spiked as he slid his eyes to Ava, startled.

"It's a surprise," He managed to get out.

Don't let her find out. Don't let her find out. Don't let her find out.

They had been doing so good. His anxiety had calmed down but at her reminder, the stakes for tonight came flooding back.

Because the thought of what if she said no kept coming back.

But he couldn't let her find out. He couldn't ruin the surprise.

"Are you all right?" Her concerned voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her as she gave him a confused look.

He flashed a smile and rubbed his palms on his scrubs, "Yeah, Yeah…I'm fine. Just got choked."

Ava continued to look at him, perplexed. She opened her mouth to say something when both of their pages went off.

Thank God. Saved by the page.

"Looks like they need us both," He commented while he and Ava shoved down the last fleeting bites of food before he briefly placed a hand on the small of her back as they both began to run towards the ED.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by.

All day, people had been brought back from the brink of death without a break. The ED had seemed busier than normal and even the CT floor had been slightly more chaotic than usual.

And, well, the ICU was being just as unpredictable as ever.

But, somehow, in between all the running to do CPR, emergency surgery and to grab the occasional cup of coffee along with dealing with med students and residents, Ava had finally completed her M&M report.

So, she was grateful to have one less thing to worry about although she was exhausted. But she still had dinner with Connor to look forward to so that was worth it.

She glanced at the clock. 7 o'clock. Damnit.

He had asked her to be down at the ED doors by now. She quickly straightened her posture and reached into her pocket to grab her phone to let Connor know she would be a few minutes late when one of the CT nurses came running towards her.

She had a sinking feeling that she wasn't about to go anywhere other than to surgery.

"Dr. Bekker! Room 219. Stats are low."

Ava took off running in the direction the nurse was pointing.

Mr. Petrov was in that room. He had been her patient for a few months and when he came into the ED this morning with shortness of breath, she had had him admitted because she wanted to keep an eye on his aortic valve, but she hadn't scheduled him for surgery yet.

She had a feeling that she was getting ready to do said surgery, no matter her wishes.

She burst into the room to find his wife crying and the machines Mr. Petrov was hooked up to, beeping frantically.

"Is he going to be okay?" His wife sobbed fearfully as Ava did an ultrasound.

Ignoring her for the moment, she turned to the techs and nurses in the room, "I have to do an emergency valve replacement. Get him prepped for surgery."

At her words, his wife cried out, "I thought you just wanted to observe him tonight!"

Ava walked quickly over to her as she watched her husband being prepared to move, "Mrs. Petrov, his heart can't keep up. It's trying to push blood through the whole body through a hole that is five times smaller than it should be. I was hoping to give him a little rest before doing the surgery, but I can't wait any longer. He needs this now."

Mrs. Petrov nodded frantically, and Ava left her in the trusted hands of one of the nurses before heading off to get scrubbed in.

She barely remembered to ask a passing nurse to tell Connor that she wouldn't be able to make it to dinner.

* * *

Connor checked his watch for the tenth time. They were going to be late. They already were late, and they hadn't even left the hospital yet.

Ava was supposed to meet him at the doors to the ED an hour ago. He had texted a while ago but hadn't gotten a response. He was going to go search for her but then Will had needed help with a GSW.

He checked his phone again hoping to see a response, preferably saying she had just gotten caught up but was on her way down. But no dice.

Fidgeting nervously, he reached into his scrub pants pocket to run his fingers over the velvety box. He checked his watch again before giving up, deciding that it would be faster to just go find her.

He took the stairs two at a time and he really hoped that he would be able to locate her within a few minutes because it wasn't like the restaurant could hold their reservation indefinitely, even if he was a rich, hotshot surgeon.

Besides, it would be weird to have dinner in an empty dining room because everyone else had already had dinner and left.

As he approached the main desk, Olivia, the night charge nurse looked up, "Oh, Dr. Rhodes! I forgot. It's been a bit of a madhouse here this evening but Dr. Bekker asked us to tell you that she got pulled into an emergency valve replacement and that she is very sorry, but she won't be able to make it to dinner."

Connor's face fell, he had been afraid of that.

Olivia gave him a sympathetic smile, "She didn't look too happy about it either but there was no other way around it. She had to do the surgery."

"Of course, she did. I can't fault her for doing her job," Connor smiled at the older lady.

He took a deep breath and tried not to look too disappointed, "Well, maybe I'll go scrub in and help her."

Connor turned to walk towards the OR's, putting his hand in his pocket again to feel the ring box.

He had been a jumble of nerves all day for nothing. All his plans blown to smithereens. Now he would have to re-plan, regroup and go through another nerve-wracking day. Soon.

He had been carrying this ring around for way too long and he was getting anxious.

That was one of the burdens of being a doctor. You could hardly plan anything because when you did, something like this happened. Another person needed saving.

Someone was always relying on him and Ava and his fellow doctors to drop whatever they were doing to save their life.

It was a price to pay but the rewards were worth it.

However, that led him back to his current problem as to when and how he was going to make plans for an uninterrupted evening with Ava. It just didn't seem possible.

Maybe he should just propose right now in the OR while Ava was performing open-heart surgery. He grinned wryly. He'd never live that down but maybe…

Maybe he still could propose tonight.

* * *

Connor threw a backward glance at the ED as he shoved an equally confused Natalie, April, and Maggie into the doctor's lounge.

"What is going on, Connor?" Natalie exclaimed exasperatedly with her arms crossed.

Maggie and April mimicked her stance as they stood side-by-side looking at him expectantly.

He squirmed under their gaze as he licked his lips and ran his hand nervously behind his head.

Maggie shifted her weight motioned expectantly with her fob, "Seriously. You have been acting strange all day. What's the matter?"

Oh great. Maggie had noticed his behavior too? He really hoped Ava had remained oblivious to his evidently transparent feelings.

"She's right, Connor," April chimed in.

Not her too!

"You haven't seemed all there today. You just have not been your cool collected self."

Natalie regarded him, "Yeah, almost like you've been…nervous."

He gulped and rubbed his hands together. God, were they all clairvoyants or something?

"It's about Ava," He offered meekly and just like that it looked like three lightbulbs went off at once.

"Oh my God! Are you gonna propose to her?" Maggie asked giddily with excitement lighting up her face.

Maybe they were clairvoyants.

"Yes," He admitted watching while April clapped and Natalie did some sort of little dance, "Well, I was."

That caught their attention.

"I was going to take her to Signature Room on 95th tonight but she got called into surgery and I don't really want to extend our reservation because even if I did, we won't make it before it closed so that whole idea is a bust."

He took a breath, "However, I decided my nerves can't take it anymore and that I'm going to propose tonight no matter what and that's where you guys come in."

He was about to tell them his plan when Ethan and Will walked in. Hadn't he locked that door?

Will slowed down when he realized that they were obviously having some kind of meeting, "What's going on guys? Why weren't we invited."

Connor had wanted to keep this on the down-low until after he popped the question and he also wasn't really sure what his best friends might think about him proposing at a hospital. They'd probably laugh, and he had wanted to avoid that.

Maybe he could still keep it a secret.

"Connor's proposing to Ava tonight," Natalie told the boys happily.

Or not.

Ethan grinned, "Really, man! That's awesome! You guys deserve it!"

Will came over and clapped him on the back, "I knew there was something off with you today. It totally makes sense now!"

"I'm glad I could clear it up for you," Connor mumbled sullenly.

Couldn't anything go according to plan?

"So, how are you gonna do it?" Ethan asked.

Now he had five people standing side-by-side looking at him expectantly.

"Well, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was trying to explain to the girls that I needed their help in decorating the balcony off of the cafeteria. Preferably somewhere close to the railing so we can have a good view of the city."

"Wait a second," A smirk crept across Will's face, "You're proposing in a hospital?"

Connor glared at him and Natalie slapped Will's chest, "You leave him be! He did have a beautifully romantic idea, but Ava got called into surgery, so his plans were canceled. He's making do with the next best thing and I personally think it's a good idea."

Ethan nodded, "Yeah, man. You gotta do what you gotta do."

Maggie pointed a finger at Connor, "Now, don't you worry about a thing. We've got this under control and it's going to be perfect."

April walked over to him and started to push him out of the room, "Maggie's right. Go on and help Ava with the surgery so you two can get yourselves engaged! Leave it to us!"

* * *

"Connor," Ava looked up from the heart she was working on as her boyfriend backed into the OR, ready to be gloved up.

"I'm glad you decided to join me," Connor couldn't see her lips for the mask that covered her face, but he knew that she had a smile playing at her mouth.

"Well," He shrugged teasingly, "Since you bailed on me, I figured I had better get in here to help you save this man."

Ava knew that there wasn't any resentment in his words, but she did detect an unusual tone that she wasn't used to but brushed it off.

She sighed as he joined across from her, accepting the instrument that was being handed to him, "I'm truly sorry about this Connor. I was looking forward to going out. It seems like these days the only times we have anything even resembling a date is in the OR."

Connor cleared his throat nervously, "Yeah. It's okay. I mean I get it. We can do it another time."

Ava looked at his bent head skeptically watching as he focused intently on his work. There was something off with him, but she wasn't sure what.

He had been acting strange all day, but she hadn't wanted to push until she could figure it out. She just couldn't quite place a finger on it. Maybe she would ask him about it when they got home.

"Now, just don't fall asleep on me. I would hate to have to wake you up because your scalpel was slipping dangerously close to Mr. Petrov's aorta," Ava mused mischievously.

Connor laughed. Ava wouldn't be Ava if she didn't make a quip or a comment at his expense. He loved that about her, and he hoped she continued to do it as they spent the rest of their lives doing surgery together.

Connor's hands shook as he scrubbed out next to Ava. This was it. He was about to do the most nerve-wracking thing he had ever done.

He was about to ask the most important question he would ever ask.

And what if she said no? What if, for some reason, she said no? What then? Their relationship would be ruined. Well, maybe not ruined but it would certainly be different and awkward and that was the last thing he wanted.

He had a pretty good idea that she would say yes. He wouldn't even be doing this if he didn't have an inkling of what her answer would be. They had talked about the future, about getting married and she had always seemed open to the idea. She would always get that faraway look in her eye and smile so endearingly so he knew that she must like the idea.

But what if, for whatever reason, she said no. Oh God, it was his worst nightmare.

He did have trust issues, so it was no wonder that he was getting so worked up over this, but it was just such a huge thing and he wanted so badly it almost scared him. And so did Ava, right?

Connor thought she wanted it as badly as he did but what if she didn't?

His stomach was flip-flopping as his thoughts raced while he went through the motions of scrubbing out and following Ava to their lockers.

It was only Ava calling his name that shook him out of the trance he had fallen into.

"Connor," She laid a hand on his shoulder in concern, "Are you all right?"

She had already changed back into her regular scrubs, surgical cap off and white coat on.

"Yeah," He swallowed as he took the clean scrubs Ava was handing him, "Just a lot on my mind."

She looked at him with equal amounts of concern and uncertainty. If he had just blown it, he thought he might just dig a hole to die in. He prayed to whatever God would listen that she wouldn't ask what he was thinking about because if she decided to push, he wouldn't be able to last. Not in this state of mind and Ava had always been really good at getting things out of people.

It also didn't help that with every passing day he found it harder and harder to say no to those infuriating hazel eyes. To the captivating woman that stood before him.

"All right," She conceded heavily, "Get dressed so we can go put in our surgical notes and get out of here."

They finished up quickly and Connor discreetly sent a text to Maggie, April, and Natalie to say that they were on their way, so they had better be ready.

Then, he felt in his pocket for the thousandth time to make sure the ring was still there as he guided Ava towards the cafeteria. That would be awful if they showed up and he didn't even have the ring.

"Connor," Ava stopped abruptly, confused, "This isn't the way to the ED."

He smiled sheepishly but continued to guide her in the direction of the cafeteria, "I know. Just bear with me for a little while longer. It'll be worth it."

Connor glanced at her anxiously, before murmuring under his breath, "I hope."

She raised an eyebrow but asked no questions. They continued their journey in silence and he could feel Ava's curious eyes on him as he led her through the twists and turns of the hospital hallways.

He wasn't exactly sure what to expect himself when they turned the corner that opened up into the large, airy cafeteria but he could honestly say that the girls had done a fantastic job of making things as romantic as they could be in a hospital cafeteria.

The lights had been somehow dimmed in the cafeteria itself, providing a soft glow instead of the harsh light that helped keep people awake through the long hours of the night. There were roses and candles everywhere including a pathway of rose petals leading to the door that went out to the balcony.

Connor briefly glanced at the large crowd of people that were occupying almost every single table on the other side of the cafeteria who had their eyes glued to the couple.

He had forgotten about the fact that the cafeteria was always buzzing with doctors and nurses who came to get a much-needed cup of coffee trying to get through a twenty-four-hour shift or of families of patients who were trying to calm their nerves and relieve their stress with a hot, soothing, drink.

But Maggie or someone had seemed to have done a good job of making them as inconspicuous as possible. Oh well, he couldn't worry about that now.

Ava turned to him, overwhelmed, "Connor…?" She breathed, "What is all this?"

Connor smiled gently at her, grabbing her hand, "Come on."

He led her down the path of roses and reached the door. He was about to open it when Will appeared out of nowhere to do it for him.

Ava looked at the red-haired doctor in shock, but he simply gave them a huge smile and flashed a thumbs up.

As soon as they stepped outside onto the gravel-covered balcony, Ethan who Connor spied in the corner behind a large potted plant, plugged in two electrical cords.

Sparkling lights lit up, creating a path to a large candle-lit heart-shape on the ground right up against the railing, giving them a romantic view of the magical lights of Chicago. Inside the heart-shape was rose petals.

His friends had outdone themselves. And judging by the look on Ava's face, she thought so too.

So far, so good.

Then, violin music came floating from somewhere to his left. He and Ava turned their heads to see Natalie smiling and wriggling her eyebrows at him while she played.

"Well, I know it's not Valentine's Day but am I missing some sort anniversary?" Ava looked at him, a delighted but baffled smile playing at her lips.

Connor smiled at her apprehensively and led her the rest of the way until they stood in the middle of the heart. He stood in front of her and took her hands as everything but her faded to the background.

"Ava," He swallowed and rubbed a thumb over her hand, "Ava, when we first met, you and I were at each other's throats constantly. We fought and didn't get along but one day we were forced to work together and slowly but surely, we became a great team. One of the best. We were friends and our bickering became playful and fun and pretty soon, you became the best part of my day. I always hoped for complicated cases just so we could work together."

Ava looked into his beautiful blue eyes and did her best not to cry at his touching words. Her heart was beating fast as she waited in anticipation because she had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.

Connor cleared his throat, "Then I fell in love. Actually, I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you long before that. Maybe even the day that we had to go amputate that guy's leg and you told me that you felt like Bonnie Henna."

They both shared a chuckle. She remembered that day well. That was the day that he gave up Robin which opened the door to them. At that point in time, neither one of them knew how special or deep their relationship would end up being.

They had no idea that he would be standing in front of her, ready to propose.

Connor took a deep breath to fortify himself as he poured his heart out to the beautiful woman in front of him, "Ava, you are the love of my life. I love everything about you. I love your smile, your passion, your dedication, the way you always try to the best thing for your patient, the way you fight for them. And I love when we do surgery together, the way you tease me, the way we bicker, the way your sure hands fit right next to mine and we save lives together. I even love your stubbornness and the way you're not afraid to contradict me or fight for what is best for the patient no matter what I say.

He sniffed, tears in his eyes, "I could go on forever and still not be done naming the things about you I've discovered, listing the things I love about you, but the point is I can't imagine my life without you by my side. I don't want to. We're a team in every sense of the word and I always want it to be this way so…"

Ava gasped and covered her mouth in happiness as Connor got on one knee and produced a velvet ring box. She had deduced that this was where all this was leading but actually seeing him kneel down was quite surreal.

Connor looked up at Ava as he slowly opened the ring box to reveal a stunning diamond ring with small sapphires sprinkled throughout.

"Oh, Connor…" She trailed off in wonder and emotion.

The wind was making her blonde, short, wavy hair blow gently and her white coat shift. Even though Ava was still in her scrubs and exhausted after a long day of saving lives, she was still the most striking thing he had ever seen. Her dark, mysterious eyes glistened with tears.

"Ava," Connor once again cleared his throat, smiling through his own tears, "Will you make me the happiest person on the earth? Will you marry me?"

Ava looked down at him as he knelt in his scrubs asking her to be his wife. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms, screaming yes.

"Of course, I will!" She laughed through her tears, "Yes! A thousand times yes!"

Connor grinned as he quickly slipped the ring on her finger before sweeping her off her feet and spinning her around. He sat her down and gave her a long, slow kiss as he held her tightly in his arms.

She held her hand out to admire her ring, "Connor, the ring is gorgeous. I absolutely love it."

"I'm glad. I spent a long time picking it out," He drew her back into his arms for another languid kiss.

"Ava," Connor breathed into her mouth, "This is the best day of my life."

Ava leaned back, still secured in Connor's arms and ran her hand up to cup his bearded cheek, "Mine too. No wonder you've been acting strange all day. You were nervous."

She smirked, "It's not very attractive you know."

He smiled sheepishly, "I was afraid you'd say no. I don't what I would have done if you had said no."

"Oh Connor," She looked at him in disbelief, "Why would you ever think that? I love you and I'd be an idiot if I even thought about saying no. I will never find another man who would put up with my moods and my hard-headedness or love me the way you do."

Ava gazed into his face, adoringly, "I'm yours. Forever and always."

He reached down to kiss her again.

"I'm sorry that it wasn't more romantic. I know the hospital isn't exactly known for its proposals," Connor apologized as he nuzzled her neck.

"But I'll have you know that I'm not a complete unromantic fool. I did have plans to go to Signature Room on 95th tonight but that didn't really work out."

Ava pulled back in shock, "Signature Room on 95th! I am so sorry, Connor. I ruined your plans, with the emergency surgery. You must have made reservations a while ago!"

"I had it planned for months. The ring for even longer. I'm actually surprised you didn't find out," He looked at her ruefully.

Her eyes were big and round as she looked at him with regret.

Don't, Ava," Connor shook his head before she could say anything else, "It's an occupational hazard. I know that more than anyone. Besides, it's not like we can just not save people."

She nodded then smiled, "Well, you might not think it's romantic, but I can honestly say that I think the hospital was the perfect location. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way."

He gave her a confused look and she laughed, placing both of her hands on his chest, "This hospital. It holds so many moments. Many of them sad, filled with death but there are countless of happy ones, filled with hope and life. Babies are born, someone gets a transplant they so desperately needed, and tumors are removed. We get to be a part of that. We get to share in other people's joys together."

"But," Ava inhaled and sighed contently, "There's more. We have our own personal, special moments and a lot of them happened right there in that building. It's where we first met, where we had our first kiss," She smiled impishly, "both of them; where we've had heated arguments that led to steamy make-out sessions in the closet, or in the lounge, or in an empty OR."

Ava gave him a look that made him go week in the knees, "And it's where you first told me you loved me and now, it's where you proposed to me."

Well, when she put it like that, the hospital was the perfect place and every bit as romantic.

"And," She bit her lip coyly, "It's where we'll have future moments too. Where we'll have our babies and where we'll take them because they've broken a leg or an arm while playing with reckless abandon, following their father's lead."

Connor's breath hitched. He hadn't put much thought into children before he met Ava but now, he wanted them more than anything in the world. He definitely wanted children with Ava.

He wanted it all. With Her.

"Sounds like heaven," He reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

She chuckled and leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, "It does, doesn't it?"

Who knew how long they stayed like that. Huddled together, wrapped in each other's warmth, savoring this moment and being in love…

When a throat being cleared, loudly, brought them back to the present.

They slowly turned toward the hospital.

Maggie was standing about ten feet away with her arms crossed and her foot tapping. April and Natalie, her violin in hand, stood beside the charge nurse looking at the couple apologetically.

Then Connor and Ava noticed that Ethan, Will and Ms. Goodwin was standing at the doors that led out to the balcony blocking the large crowd, who had their faces pressed against the glass watching with rapt attention, from walking out on the balcony.

Some even had their phones out.

Ava looked at Maggie apprehensively, "Who are all those people and why are they watching us?"

She shrugged, "Beats me. I guess the families of our patients but as to why their watching, well, Dr. Rhodes here just popped the question on a hospital balcony, and you said yes. Or, I'm guessing you said yes 'cause you've had your heads pressed together like two lovesick fools for at least fifteen minutes."

"Oh my God…" Ava hid her head in Connor's chest with an embarrassed grin.

Connor laughed in surprise, watching with amusement as Sharon Goodwin made the crowd disperse from the large window before giving him a wink.

She, Will and Ethan walked out onto the balcony to join the others.

Goodwin grinned at the couple, "I got the whole thing on tape. It was about time, Connor!"

Will and Ethan looked at her in surprise, "Oh, don't look at me like that! I've always been an advocate for Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker's relationship. It's good PR for the hospital."

"Thank you, I think," Connor offered with uncertainty.

"Besides," Ms. Goodwin shrugged, "Now Daniel owes me some money. I always told him you two were the real deal."

The group of doctors and nurses shared an amused but astounded glance. Who knew Goodwin was such a romantic?

"Well," Will broke the silence, clapping his hands together, "Where's that wine?"

"April," Maggie snapped, and the younger nurse stepped forward with a bottle in hand, giving it to Ethan to pour into the glasses that were on a small table sat to the side.

The charge nurse put her hand on her hip, "No more than a few sips. You're all still on call."

There were murmurs of acknowledgment as Will and Ethan handed out glasses.

"Let me see that ring," April smiled slyly as she, Natalie and Maggie closed in on Ava who was still standing beside Connor, his arm around her.

"It's stunning, Ava," Natalie breathed out, taking the offered hand.

April gave Connor an approving look, "Well done, Connor!"

"Thank you," He grinned but turned heart-felt, "Seriously guys, thank you. For helping me pull this off. I couldn't have done it without you."

"It really is impressive," Ava agreed, looking around at the candles, lights and roses, "You know, I've been thinking," She smirked into her wine glass, "Since it seems we can't plan anything because of our unpredictable schedules maybe we should just have the wedding here too."

Ethan smothered a laugh while Will snorted.

Connor looked at Ava with an exasperated smile, "Very funny."

They all laughed, enjoying each other's company and congratulating Connor and Ava's engagement when a frazzled nurse came out onto the balcony.

"We could use some help in the ED," She sighed then looked to Ava and Connor, "And they need Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker in the ICU."

Ava grinned wryly up at Connor, "I rest my case."

He nudged her playfully, "Come on, let's go save some lives. Together."

She winked, grabbing his hand with her newly adorned ring finger, "Together. Always."

**The End! I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully, there weren't too many mistakes but I did edit it on my phone because my computer isn't working, really unfortunate :( Anyways, if you see anything, leave a (kind) remark and I will try to get to it! I accept requests so if there is something you'd like to see, PM me! I have some other ideas for Connor and Ava (one of which may or may not contain a baby) so be looking for that although I'm not sure how long it will be till I finish and post them. Thanks so much for reading and please tell me what you thought!**


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